In late May, Ford asked its Model e certified dealers to pause investments. The subset of dealers had certain exclusive rights to sell electric Ford vehicles. Today, the automaker announced that it’s sunsetting the program altogether. Understandably, that shift in Ford’s sales model has garnered mixed reactions.
The whole point of the Model e program was to reward dealers who invested heavily, up to $1.2 million, in EV infrastructure and training. At the same time, those investments would, in theory, create a better experience for EV customers. In reality, some of that was true, but Ford also dealt with lawsuits from dealers who thought it was unfair. And all this, despite the fact that the Blue Oval has nearly doubled it’s EV sales this year over the same period in 2023.
Read Article